Tonight sports betting enthusiasts from around the world will be glued to their television sets for Monday Night Football. The Columbus Day game for October 10, 2011 will feature an all NFC North matchup, as the two and two Chicago Bears take on the undefeated Detroit Lions. For the last couple of years, it was easy for price per head bookmaking agents to set the Lions as an underdog in all of their games. However, entering tonight’s matchup with the Bears, it is the Lions that are set as a seven point favorite. The question however, is are the Lions for real or just lucky? Here is the tale of the tape for tonight’s matchup, using bookie software. Offensively speaking, fans will likely want to give the edge to the Lions, because they have the best duo in the entire league, in quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The man known as Megatron has eight touchdowns inside the red zone this season. Thus indicating, that he is Stafford’s favorite target in that area. In general, the Lions lead the NFL in red zone conversions, as they connect 60 percent of the time. However, with that being said, we give the Chicago Bears our NFL pick in offense. Essentially, despite both Chicago and Detroit running the ball sparingly, the Bears offense is better at the run. Running back Matt Forte is averaging four yards per carry, compared to Jahvid Best’s average of three yards. In theory, if the Bears want to control the game, offensive coordinator Mike Martz will have quarterback Jay Cutler hand the ball off to Forte and backup Marion Barber on a regular basis in tonight’s game. On the defensive side of the ball, the Chicago Bears under Head Coach Lovie Smith have been synonymous with elite level defending. Yet, this season, the defense has been more or less an Achilles heel instead of the backbone for the team’s success. This in turn has led to a 500 record rather then being undefeated like the Lions. Last weekend, the Bears defense was terrible, as they gave up 543 total yards to a bad Carolina Panthers squad. The Bears who are known for their run defense, has given up 86 points in the last three games. Conversely, the Detroit Lions NFL defense has continued to improve game by game. In the last two games, the Lions have let the Vikings and Cowboys run wild on them in the first halves, only to see the defense step up in the second half and shut the door. Tonight’s game will also feature the pro debut of 2011 first round pick Nick Fairley, which in turn can only spell bad things for Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears offense. Prediction: Detroit Lions 31 Chicago Bears 24
